Monday, December 17, 2012

The PFLP-GC: some history

The PFLP-GC split off from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine back in 1968: he added "the General Command to the name of the new organization to imply that all the military cadres split off with him. He was opposed to all the talk of ideological transformations and to the infusion of Marxist thought. He wanted action, and nothing else. He had a background in the Syrian military and his small organization (which never had a popular base) gradually became a mere arm of the Syrian intelligence apparatus, and maintained that reputation. People forget that the organization did disagree with the Syrian regime (and opposed it strongly) in 1976 when the Syrian regime intervened militarily on the side of the Phalanges and their allies in the Lebanese civil war. I asked a few years ago in the Burj Al-Barajneh refugee camp Anwar Raja (one of the leaders of the organization) about their relations with the Syrian regime. I asked him: can you think of one disagreement with the regime? He said: that there were two. The 1976 Syrian intervention and the war of the camps which the Syrian regime engineered through the anti-Palestinian reactionary Amal Movement militia. Jibril has no real ideology: he can be an Islamist for the Iranian regime and an Arab nationalist for the Qadhdhafi regime. He is an explosives expert and participated in the Lebanese civil war especially in the War of the Hotels in the 1975-76 war. Jibril is known for his courage: he always fought with his men, and always walked in front of them. Yesterday, we read that there was a defection within the organization's ranks: but the split was at the hand of the son of Fadl Shruru (who was until his death a leader and ideologue of the group): who is a nephew of Ahmad Jibril. In the New York Times (repeating Saudi media) they said that Jibril fled to Iran or Tartus. This is so dumb and clearly written by ignorant people who know nothing about Ahmad Jibril. I am sure that Jibril is still in Damascus.

Comic by Terry Furry, reproduced from "Heard the One About the Funny Leftist?" by Cris Thompson, East Bay Express

As'ad's Bio

As'ad AbuKhalil, born March 16, 1960. From Tyre, Lebanon, grew up in Beirut. Received his BA and MA from American University of Beirut in pol sc. Came to US in 1983 and received his PhD in comparative government from Georgetown University. Taught at Tufts University, Georgetown University, George Washington University, Colorado College, and Randolph-Macon Woman's College. Served as a Scholar-in-Residence at Middle East Institute in Washington DC. He served as free-lance Middle East consultant for NBC News and ABC News, an experience that only served to increase his disdain for maintream US media. He is now professor of political science at California State University, Stanislaus. His favorite food is fried eggplants.

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